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Loading... The Forgotten Legion (2008)by Ben Kane
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Enjoyable read. Good action scenes and interesting characters. Good start to a series. ( ) Oh dear. I like historical fiction, and when it's done well it can be exciting, informative and a bloody good read. This book is none of those things. To be honest I gave up half way through it 600 plus pages. The prose is pedestrian, the characters stereotypical and cardboard. The story moves at a snail's pace and I really couldn't find the will to carry on with it. I hate giving up on books but sometimes life is just too short to bother with a bad one. Where was the editor on this? Why did it need to be 600 pages long? Why are there another two books after this one? I'm sure Mr. Kane loves the Roman world and he's obviously put in loads of research. But he's not a novelist. This is the kind of 'blockbuster' that clogs up airports and supermarket shelves. Roman fiction has been done much better by other people (Harris, Iggulden, Sidebottom). Disappointing. The Forgotten Legion, the first book in Ben Kane's Forgotten Legion trilogy, is a character-driven novel set in Ancient Rome during the 1st century BC. With the political machinations and rivalries of Ancient Rome serving as background, Kane brings to life the stories of the novel's four principal characters: Romulus and Fabiola, twins born into slavery but separated at age thirteen when Romulus is sold to a gladiator school and Fabiola to a brothel; Brennus, a Gaul warrior whose entire tribe was killed by the Romans but who escapes death himself to become one of Rome's greatest gladiators; and the Etruscan Haruspex Tarquinius, the last in a long line of Etruscan soothsayers who is determined not to let Rome destroy him or the legacy of his people. While the stories of the main characters are seemingly unconnected at the outset of the novel, fate first brings Romulus and Brennus together as members of Rome's illustrious Ludus Magnus gladiatorial school, and then joins them with Tarquinius as members of Crassus' army that unsuccessfully attempts to invade Parthia. By the novel's end, all three men find themselves farther from Rome than they ever thought possible as members of the 'forgotten legion.' Meanwhile, back in Rome, Fabiola vows to make the most of her situation and becomes one of Rome's most sought after prostitutes. She wins the favour of Marcus Brutus and never gives up hope of finding her brother or gaining her freedom. The Forgotten Legion is a novel sure to appeal to readers interested in historical fiction set in ancient Rome. While the more violent components of the novel's narrative are, at times, graphic, these scenes serve to give the novel an authentic feel. Life in ancient Rome was brutal and violent, especially for slaves, members of the lower classes and non-Roman citizens. The novel effectively conveys this. Although not central to the overall story, The Forgotten Legion also successfully conveys the rampant corruption and ruthlessness that defined politics of this era, thereby providing much needed background. While I enjoyed this background, it is the characters themselves that make this story such a great read. Kane has created a memorable cast of characters and whether they be hero or villain, central to the story or just those on its periphery, I was genuinely interested in all of them. As a result, I'm very much looking forward to finding out what's next for each of them. The story started in The Forgotten Legion continues in The Silver Eagle. no reviews | add a review
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An epic Roman novel in which the story of three men and one woman are bound in servitude to the Republic - an odyssey which begins in Rome, but ends at the very limits of the unknown world, where the forgotten legion fights against overwhelming odds. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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